About the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions

January 10, 2017

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Hill Street Studios

Launched in 2017 in celebration of the Hewlett Foundation’s fiftieth anniversary, the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions is a five- year, $8 million commissioning initiative that is the largest of its kind in the United States. The initiative will support the creation of 50 exceptional works of performing arts and their premiere in the Bay Area through grants of $150,000 to Bay Area nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations will receive funding to achieve their creative vision in partnership with the commissioned artists, who may be based anywhere in the world.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the new program will be local audiences, who will be among the first to see important new works in the performing arts premiered in their communities.

The Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions align with our longstanding commitment to providing Bay Area audiences with access to world class performing arts, and it is our hope that the works created will go on to inspire, engage and challenge audiences across the country and around the world in years to come.

Disciplines

Ten commissions will be awarded annually in each of five performing arts disciplines from 2017 – 2021. The recipients of the 2017 awards, in music composition, have been announced.

In 2018, the awards focus on theater, spoken word, and musical theater.

Future years will focus on:

2019: Dance, Multi-Discipline Performance Art

2020: Folk and Traditional Arts

2021: Film and Media

Eligible nonprofit organizations must be based in one of the eleven Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma). Applicants do not need to be arts-focused organizations, and we encourage organizations working on diverse issues to consider submitting a letter of inquiry (LOI). We also encourage organizations that serve disadvantaged or historically marginalized communities to submit an LOI. Successful proposals will represent an authentic collaboration between organization and artists. Artists will receive tw0-thirds of the Hewlett Foundation grant as their commissioning fee.

Applying for a grant

There is a two-step process to apply. First, organizations submit a short LOI identifying the artist they propose commissioning and describing the proposed project. The most competitive applicants will be asked to complete an in-depth proposal for their project, and Hewlett Foundation staff will make the final decision about winners of the awards.

Those interested in submitting a letter of inquiry are invited to view a recording of an introductory webinar, as well as a growing list of frequently asked questions about the commissioning program.

Applications for 2018 are now closed. Recipients of the 2018 awards will be announced later this year.